Additional Info

Nearby Theaters

Located in Horden, County Durham. The Ritz Cinema opened just prior to Christmas, 1937. It had seating for 850 in stalls and a raised stepped section at the rear, later reduced to 716. There was full stage and flytower and a proscenium arch 23 feet wide. The Ritz Cinema was closed in the early-1960’s and was converted into a bingo club.

It was modernised in 1972 when the Durham based company Fairworld purchased the Ritz Cinema and it was reopened as a cinema. It was closed for alterations in January 1976 and re-opened as a twin cinema seating 240 and 135, as the Fairworld Film Centre in February 1976. Conversion work was carried out by Modernisation Ltd, a company founded by the Freise-Greene family. Seating was later reduced to 156 and 96.

Still operating in the 1990’s, it eventually closed and became a factory/warehouse for Blinds UK. This too has closed and the building is currently derelict.

I did a couple of stints here as relief projectionist around 1977/78. It may have been Graeme who got a night off when I did as the movies he stated in the link to one of the pictures were ones I showed at Fairworld. I was just a trainee at the time and spent a lot of time mainly between the Fairworld cinema’s in Washington and Sunderland but did a bit here and at the Seaham branches. Always a dash at the end of the night to catch the last bus home. The Horden projection box was really quite nice and the staff popped up a couple of times with a cuppa and to make sure the trainee was still alive!! I think when we look at cinema’s we forget the family atmosphere that the staff generated and when these places closed a lot of people had developed bonds and kept in touch through the years. Good times!